


Just a Normal Day On The Ground

by CatherineParker



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Acid Fog, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e06 Fog of War, F/F, Season 2, Tight Spaces, acid fog tent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-21 18:47:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8256521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatherineParker/pseuds/CatherineParker
Summary: '"Abby, get back here!" Raven screams in what she desperately hopes is the right direction, stumbling back onto her feet, her leg aching. Time is running out; she can tell by the way each breath already burns in her lungs--and how her skin begins to prickle.Billowing clouds shroud the entire area in the distance, rolling at them faster and faster. The yellow mist is almost upon them, ready to swallow them whole. Raven knows it waits for no one--not even the acting chancellor of the Ark.'





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my beta, Endgirl, who was willing to provide me with a lot of helpful tips, suggestions and never ending patience. (May I one day succeed to convince you of this pairing xD) I truly thank you. I appreciate your help immensely!
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made of this.

It is already late in the evening, darkness lingering at the top of the trees. Mount Weather looms high in the distance. The radio tower on top of the mountain mocks their small group with its continuous static from radio speakers.

Raven wonders if she should have gone with Clarke after Finn, but then it does not feel like her place to do that anymore. For the first time in a long while she can acknowledge that without feeling a stabbing pain in her chest. Octavia and Bellamy have been gone at least for an hour by now in their quest to find a hidden entrance to Mount Weather. That left Raven with the chancellor and two Ark guards, whose names she can't quite remember--and doesn’t particularly care to know.

Abby went deeper into the forest to get Clarke and Finn back to join them, so they can finally get a move on. Raven is more than ready to blow that radio tower into the sky.

It was sunny all day, but with nightfall fast approaching there is a bitter chill in the air, and Raven shivers despite her thick jacket. The boulder she sits on is cold and clammy and she promises herself a hot shower as soon as they return to Arkadia.

When the acid fog comes and everything dissolves into chaos, a hot shower is the last thing on her mind.

They barely manage to get the tents up in time. Raven barks orders at the guards and works as fast as she can so they will not be swallowed by a billowing mass of the lethal fog without protection.

When she looks up, Mount Weather has already vanished from her sight. The feeling of dread settling into her stomach is far too familiar for her liking. Abby and the Ark guards have no comprehension of what it does and how fast it has crawled up on them. Raven knows. She has seen the charred bodies it leaves behind.

"Clarke!?"

Raven hears Abby's desperate calls in the distance as she herself stumbles over an outgrown root covered with moss and loses her balance. She lands with her backside and a thud on the forest ground.

"Clarke, where are you?" Abby’s voice gets quieter and the doctor is too far away.

"Abby, get back here!" Raven screams in what she desperately hopes is the right direction, stumbling back onto her feet, her leg aching. Time is running out; she can tell by the way each breath already burns in her lungs--and how her skin begins to prickle.

Billowing clouds shroud the entire area in the distance, rolling at them faster and faster. The yellow mist is almost upon them, ready to swallow them whole. Raven knows it waits for no one--not even the acting chancellor of the Ark.

Securing the last strap on her tent, Raven tells the guards to seek shelter and is satisfied at the sound of a zipper being pulled shut behind her. She wastes no precious time and rushes further into the forest where she hopes Abby to be. Looking frantically around, she lets her eyes roam over the vast landscape before her, trying to spot her somewhere between the trees. "Abby!" she screams again, cold sweat running down her back when she can't make out the older woman anywhere. 

"Abby, come on!"

The rustling of leaves and breaking of twigs commands her attention and she snaps her head towards the noise. Her relief at seeing Abby sliding over a fallen tree trunk evaporates when she can't even make out the trees behind the woman anymore. They are all vanishing behind rolling, thick poisonous clouds that by now reach as high as the treetops.

"Abby, what the fuck!" Raven shouts. She is not beneath being angry with the other woman for running off, but it is mostly fear for her life that sits heavy on her chest. Fear to lose someone else. Someone who actually means something to her. When she opens her mouth again her lungs are on fire. "RUN!"

The other woman must notice the terror in her voice and runs faster. Raven considers returning to the tent, but she is not prepared to leave anyone behind--not Abby--not anyone. Raven is done losing people. She watches as Abby runs towards her at a breakneck pace, jumping over overgrown roots and tree trunks. Abby is almost at her side when she stumbles and goes down face first.

"Shit!" Raven mumbles. She regrets it immediately, starting to cough and getting more and more of the soiled air into her airways. Running towards Abby as quickly as she can, she pulls her up violently by her elbow and back to her feet. The clouds are so close that Raven doubts for a hot second they will make it in time. She squeezes Abby's hand and both of them race to the tent together.

By the time they finally zip the tent shut behind them, their clothes and skin are covered with yellow powder.

Raven stands with her hands on her knees, still slightly dizzy. This must be what it feels like to suffocate, she thinks absentmindedly. Memories of airlocks and people getting floated enter the periphery of her mind, but she tries to shake them off. Raven can't even stand upright in the tent, but then she has absolutely no intention to do so for long. She just needs for the world around her to stop spinning.

The tent itself looks flimsy, and if she did not know better, Raven would doubt that it could offer them any protection against outside forces--let alone acid fog. But the tents are high-tech Ark gear, tried and tested. With the others gone it is only Abby and her in a tent supposed to fit four. It seems way too small for that many people and Raven is sure they would be crawling over each other at each shift or turn if they were at full capacity.

Crouched over at the entrance, Abby is still coughing hard but she seems to gather her bearings in the clean air of the tent. Looking over at her, Raven realizes the doctor is in an equally dusty state.

"This-" Raven heaves, "was the stupidest stunt you've ever pulled."

Abby coughs, kneeling on the ground. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." She looks up, mirth in her gaze. "But close. I'll admit to that."

Raven has the sudden urge to yell at her. They could have died out there, Abby could have died and there would've been nothing Raven could've done to prevent it from happening. But her entire body hurts and she is exhausted. After all, it is just a normal day on the ground.

"It still burns like hell," Raven mutters as her breathing slows down to a moderate pace, desperately trying to rub the yellow mist off her itching skin. "And there are definitely more holes in my shirt than before."

Abby looks at her briefly, then her gaze drops to her own hands. Her skin shows equally reddened blotches, and if Raven is not mistaken there are small holes in the top layer of Abby’s jacket as well.

"Take it off!" Abby croaks, voice hoarse from prolonged coughing. "The clothes are covered with it all over. It's going to scorch through the material in a matter of minutes--if not sooner."

The other woman has already pulled free of her dark denim jacket and Raven is not contemplating this. Even if it is the most ridiculous medical instruction Abby has ever given her. She does not even crack a joke about how Abby is asking her to take her clothes off; not when her skin feels like it is going to peel from her bones. But she can’t help thinking that this would not be happening if Abby had not been so reckless in the first place.

"So now you're worried," she quips darkly, shedding her jacket and throws it into one of the corners of the tent.

"It's not that I wasn't worried, I just… underestimated its speed gravely," Abby protests and unceremoniously shoves a water bottle from her pack into Raven’s hands. "Here, wash the rest off." After a moment Raven hears Abby sigh. "I didn't mean to put you in danger," Abby says, and Raven does not need to look at Abby to imagine her tight expression. "I’m sorry I did.”

Raven pulls free from her light heather-gray shirt, which is definitely ruined forever. “This was never about me, Abby,” Raven murmurs, suddenly uncomfortable at the turn their conversation has taken. “Just be more careful next time, okay?” She glances over then and meets Abby's gaze. Somehow it feels more intimate and heavy the longer she does not look away. Brown eyes are a little glassier than usual and Abby’s expression is one Raven can’t decipher. It must be from the acid, Raven tells herself and turns away.

“Okay.” Abby says quietly. It sounds low and breathy and Raven ignores the way it makes her heart thump faster.

Her shoes are next in line to come off but doing it while on her feet might not be the brightest idea, so Raven sits down heavily on the ground and discards of them. Her fingers move quickly over the straps of her brace, opening one clasp after the other. She slips it off carefully then wiggles out of her pants, cautious not to flash Abby--more than she already does. Her pants land in the same corner as the rest of her clothes.

Glancing over at the other woman, Raven notices that Abby has also stripped down to her underwear and is only wearing a triangle bra and matching bikini panties. The soft light gray material gets soaked and turns two shades darker as Abby runs water over her face and chest to get the last remnants of the acid of off her tanned skin.

When Raven notices she has been staring she is slightly mortified and very grateful that Abby's eyes are still closed. She focuses her attention back to the bottle in her own hand and begins to rinse herself off methodically. All the while not thinking about smooth, wet skin nor a stunning cleavage.

The water is cold and feels like heaven against her overheated skin, with every splash the pain and itching recedes. By the time Raven is finished she is shivering all over and excess water is dripping from the strands of her dark hair against her back.

Screwing the cap back onto the bottle, she chances another glance at Abby, now sitting beside her in an equally drenched state. "Now that was fun," Raven deadpans, careful to not let her gaze drop lower than Abby's face. "Let's never do this again."

The doctor chuckles, resting her forearms against her knees. "No, let's not."

Raven takes a look around for any spare blankets or anything at all, but not even the radio is in here. That means the rest of their backpacks must have ended up in the other tent, along with all of their supplies except a few ration bars and water from Abby's pack. _Great. Just fucking great._

Sighing, Raven rubs the back of her hand over her eyes but then immediately wished she hadn't, as pain explodes beneath her eyelids. "Fuck!" She jerks backwards, rubbing over her eyes with her fingertips. That only makes it _so much worse_. "Fuck! It got into my eyes!"

"Stop." Abby’s cool hands close around her wrists, pulling her hands forcefully back from her face. "You will only make it worse."

"Don't I know it," Raven hisses, eyes clenched shut. "Please do something, I can't also be blind. That's too much."

Abby huffs, but ignores her. Raven hears her rummaging around, and then there's a hand grasping her neck. "Lean backwards and open your eyes."

"I can't, it burns like shit."

"You have to, Raven. Now."

Real fear for her eyesight lets her crack her eyes open a little. She strains against the desire to pull her head back when Abby starts to pour water into them, titling her head to the side so it won't run over her nose or mouth. She holds Raven’s neck like a vice, though not ungently.

"Again," Abby says, her voice suddenly so close that Raven startles. "Open them wider."

The water is cool and extinguishes some of the burning sensation, but it is still fucking uncomfortable to have water poured into her eyes.

Raven tries to hold still and fails as water once more is poured over her face. She reaches out to hold onto something to ground her. When her hands land on Abby's upper thighs, Raven realizes that the doctor must be crouched over her to have better access. She is about to let go but then there is more water--more pain--and she grips the skin beneath her tighter instead.

“How does that feel?” Abby asks after a moment, concern and care evident in her tone. Raven feels her breath skimming her face as she speaks.

“Like shit,” Raven grumbles, distracted by the hand on her neck. Abby’s fingers move slowly and soothingly against her skin. “But better I guess? It still stings.”

“Look at me,” Abby orders, a thumb slides over her cheek. “I need to have a closer look at the irritated tissue.”

Despite the stinging, Raven opens her eyes, and for the first time it does not feel like she is going to climb the walls. She can make out Abby directly in front of her face, but her vision is blurry. She blinks.

“How is your sight?” Abby asks quietly. She lets go of the water bottle and then both of her hands are on Raven’s skin. One still supporting her neck, the other dabbing carefully at the edge of her eye as the doctor leans closer. Raven senses the heat radiating off her body against the cold air in the tent.

Raven blinks a few times more and sighs in relief when Abby comes into focus a little sharper with each time she blinks. “Well, I can say you are a sight for sore eyes, Doctor Griffin.”

Abby lets out a snort at her comment. Her brown eyes meet Raven’s for a moment, searching and curious, before her gaze falls away and back to her task. "There's definitely some minor tissue damage, but as far as I can tell without medical supplies, only a few blood vessels have popped." Both of her hands slide over Raven’s cheeks, thumbs pulling down her lower eyelids from the ocular globe, checking for damage.

For the first time since this has started, Raven takes notice of how intimate their position is and how little she minds it. Abby is still kind of straddling her, both of her bare thighs pressing against Raven’s own. Abby leans so close that Raven takes in the rich color of her eyes, a few tiny freckles she never noticed before and a perfect line of white teeth. It is not like she wasn't aware of how attractive Abby is, but then there had always been stuff going on at the Camp. And after what happened with Finn, she did not even consider other people in that way after, well… Bellamy. Even though she and Abby have been kind of close ever since the Ark was still in space and they both stole an old, rusty pod together. And Abby certainly never sat half naked on top of her before; things might have been different if she had.

Raven is very aware of her hands that are still resting on the other woman's thighs, much higher than she had previously imagined. The skin is soft and smooth beneath her fingertips and Raven is distracted by the lingering touches on her face. She doesn't even make a conscious choice as she slides her hands higher, squeezing with minimal pressure.

Abby's eyes snap back to her own at the touch, as if she had not realized Raven’s hands had been there the entire time. "Your eyes will most likely feel sore for a few days," Abby says, very modulated but not much above a whisper. Her eyes flicker down between their bodies for a beat before traveling back up. Color rises in her cheeks. Raven grips her thighs once more, fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake. "Raven." Abby says it like it could be a warning--or maybe a question.

"Yeah?" She asks, raising a brow.

There is a very possible chance that Abby tells her off in about two seconds, but until now there is nothing she needs to apologize for. Her thumbs move inward, trailing feather-light over Abby's inner thigh. Raven waits with bated breath.

Abby has gone very still above her, strong hands cupping her jaw, the examination seemingly forgotten. Shallow breaths leave slightly parted lips, and Raven can tell her mind is racing. Analyzing, trying to regain hold over a situation she obviously hasn't accounted for. Raven does not want to wait for that conclusion and decides to give Abby an actual reason to tell her off. She flicks the pad of her thumb over the front of Abby's underwear.

There is a sharp intake of breath and a shiver on Abby's part. Raven meets her gaze head on. When Abby does not say a word, she grows bolder, rubbing slow circles where Abby must feel it the most. The grip on her face tightens and Raven can practically watch while the older woman struggles to keep her composure.

"Raven," Abby repeats. This time her voice is low, laced with uncertainty and desperation.

There has always been this undercurrent between them--the way Abby's gaze would linger at her lips for a moment too long or the barely-there blush on her cheeks when Raven would wink at her. But Raven never thought it would actually cumulate to this. She doesn't mind it--not at all--but she never entertained the idea that Abby would reciprocate the attraction to this level.

Raven knows they are certainly way past what can be called appropriate touching between friends, but if Abby makes a decision to explore it no further and leave it at that, she is prepared to accept it. Although avoiding medical at all costs for a few weeks might be also in her future.

"This doesn't have to be anything more than you want it to be, Abby," Raven whispers, moving her thumb with more purpose and pressure against the nub she can clearly feel beneath the thin cotton.

Abby's breath catches and she makes a quiet, desperate noise in the back of her throat that has Raven's own need throb with vigor. Her tongue pokes out to wet dry lips and Raven barely keeps herself from pulling Abby down for a kiss that is long overdue. The chancellor comes to a decision - she can see it as clear as day on the other woman's face. Raven’s heart plummets in her chest when Abby's hand reaches down between them and stills the fingers between her thighs. It feels like she's falling-- _they will float you_ \--and drowning-- _then they'll float me_.

"This won't do." Abby's says carefully, and Raven is utterly unprepared when the other woman pushes her fingers beneath the gray material instead of away.

There is a moment of heavy silence that stretches on and on. Raven’s mind goes blank for a second or two when Abby starts guiding her hand.

_So this is really happening._

Raven really does not need any more encouragement than that. She nudges Abby's hand away to explore the sensitive skin beneath her fingertips. She is delighted and kind of smug when she finds Abby wet and obviously wanting. "Why Chancellor--" she husks and looks up at her from beneath her eyelashes, but Abby cuts her off.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Her tone loses some of its stern quality as she gasps out a breath when Raven’s slick covered fingers seek out her clit once more, only this time without restraint or caution.

Raven makes sure that Abby is in no position to cut her off again.

Life on the ground is nothing what she imagined it would be. But despite every setback, Raven realizes as she captures Abby’s lips with her own, there are still things that change for the better.

**Author's Note:**

> This just wouldn't let me go ever since the episode aired.  
> (I took some liberties with the acid fog, although I'm still unsure why it would affect the skin, but not the clothes?! Ideas?)
> 
> (Any Feedback is -as always- very much appreciated!)


End file.
